An interesting combination of things to do today. We started off with a big helping of Holocaust history and finished off with a desert of an intro into Otto Bock prosthetics.
We visited the concentration camp of Sacksenhausen, which is a monument to the evils of National Socialism and harsh Soviet tyranny. Much of the camp is not the structures that originally held political enemies of the Nazi party, Jews, homosexuals, and Jehovah’s witnesses. Prisoners were subjected to unbelievable living conditions, torture, and pain, to say the least. Nazi officers were known to have drowned half starving prisoners in toilettes. If that wasn’t abhorrent enough, the deaths of some 30,000 prisoners at the camp might add to that disgust. When 10,000 Soviet prisoners arrived at the camp, the Nazi’s wanted to get rid of them quickly, so they organized an assembly line for killing. In a very short period of time, Nazi officers dressed as doctors would pretend to perform medical examinations, and as soldiers would stand with their backs to a measurement wall, a hold would open up behind their heads where a Nazi soldier would shoot the Soviet prisoner in the back of the head. The Nazis industrialized murder. Other tours of the barracks were sobering as well, and the bitter cold wind that was blowing gave you just a taste of how awful it must have been just to live in the camp during winter (this winter is remarkably warm by German standards).
When a museum to some of the Jewish victims was opened at the camp (the Soviets did very little to preserve much of German history, and even used the camp as a propaganda tool) the barracks were attacked by Neo-Nazis. The German authorities left the barracks burned as a reminder to the hatred that burns in the fringe elements of German society.
What are people truly capable of? How could such animosity run amok in an educated, industrialized nation? Modern psychology tells us that we are capable of many evils, and I think knowing our history is essential in preventing atrocities likes this from happening again. Although, we have still experienced Rwandas, Cambodias, and Sudans since the demise of the Nazis. It’s a pessimistic thought, but on that is worth considering. This isn’t something that just “happened” on the other side of the world. It’s a story of what humans can do to other humans. It should be considered carefully and methodically.
On a brighter note, that evening we made an excursion to the Otto Bock science center in Berlin. Now, prothestics aren’t really my cup of tea. I know, as a biomedical engineer you would probably expect me to drool over the sight of an artificial limb. It’s not my thing. With that being said, the research going on at Otto Bock is nuts. The latest prosthetics are connected to the nerves of patients, from which they can control a robotic arm with their thoughts. Google this stuff. It is INSANE. This is coming from the guy who doesn’t think prosthetics are all that cool, too. Look at that puppy and tell me that’s not incredible.
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